For 19 years, you had to travel to Wyoming (or, the first year, to Colorado) to reap the benefits of the Susan Kathleen Black Workshop. Attendees loved the relative isolation of Dubois, Wyoming, which fostered a convivial, family atmosphere of learning.
Well, the coronavirus has had one good effect on things–this year’s workshop is a hybrid of on-site instruction and remote learning. For a third of the cost of a typical SKB workshop, you can attend classes via Zoom.
The variety of instructors has always made the SKB workshop a magnificent opportunity. Returning instructors vastly expand the teachings of each year’s featured instructors, offering a tremendous bang for the buck. In 2020, not all of us can attend in person, but instead, can gain from online instruction. Here are 22 of the best reasons to sign up for the 2020 version of the SKB Rendezvous & Workshop.
If you want to learn how to paint wildlife in a large format from a charismatic and calm Washington State artist, tune in to John Banovich.
If you want to learn how to manipulate color temperature to create believable landscapes, tap the Southern gentleman Caleb Goggans.
If watercolor study with a joyous, kind, Australian painter with a worldwide following is your interest, seek out Georgia Mansur.
If dynamic figures emerging from clay float your boat, get instruction from authentic cowboy John Phelps. He can paint, too.
If watercolors depicting the fireworks of light conditions on crystal, flowers and other objects are your thing, consider dropping into Laurin McCracken’s Zoom class.
If seeing the full spectrum of colors present in the landscape eludes you, get help from Montana veteran painter Wanda Mumm.
If you admire the designs of Salt Life apparel and would like to learn from a fine artist responsible for many of these designs, acrylic painter Stephen Left is for you.
If the muted palette and beating heart of natural scenes are what you are pursuing, learn from one of the finest—Suzie Seerey-Lester.
If forward-thinking compositions with naturalistic wildlife front-and-center interest you, find Andrew Denman’s class.
If learning from a well-traveled and informed watercolorist with equal flair for both birds and landscapes are your cup of tea, sample David Rankin’s teaching.
If you are pursuing the dramatic colors of nature and wish to learn from a Kansas painter with the scientific knowledge to explain what is happening in front of your eyes and on your painting surface, consult John Hulsey.
If you’ve seen Greg Beecham’s arresting images of vibrant animals, then you know a Zoom class with him is bound to be eye opening.
If implying a Western story in a painting is important to you, seek out Lee Cable, the painter who is working through an impressive body of work depicting Charles Goodnight’s adventures.
If atmospheric perspective and the subtle shifts in value and color temperature are what you are working on, Jeanne Mackenzie’s class is where you need to be.
If taking your artistic vision into 3-D is key, Christine Knapp’s mastery of clay (and bronze) is essential instruction.
If learning how to depict birds from a bird guide authority is high on your list, get with New York State artist James Coe.
If the slinky, muscular power of animals either on the hunt or in repose makes your heart beat faster, find Guy Combes’ Zoom offering.
If abstraction in paintings keeps pulling you in, consider studying with Mark Mahaffey, one of very few artists who move seamlessly and confidently between representational and abstract art—sometimes in the same piece.
If rendering wild animals is your game, get with veteran Jan Martin McGuire.
If you need expertise mixed with endless kindness, learn from Colorado teaching legend Ken Shanika.
…and, every year, SKB has two featured instructors who bring fresh ideas and approaches to the SKB family. This year, the featured instructors are portrait painter Michael Shane O’Neal and watercolorist Paul Jackson. Get more information here.
